MVFF47 - RSVP Guide

This richly enjoyable mid-1960s period piece finds a Lima socialite at loose ends after her unfaithful husband’s departure. But she discovers more inner resources than anyone expects, forging a surprising new path of independence and culinary invention.

The Paris-born trophy wife of a Peruvian politician, Norma (Barbara Mori) finds her station in the highest echelons of mid-1960s Lima society falling apart when he leaves her for a younger woman. It’s a public scandal duly noted by both hypocritical friends and hungry creditors. Once the initial rage and helplessness burn off, however, survival instincts emerge from beneath Norma’s Liz Taylor-esque veneer of pampered glamour. Chauffeur Oscar (jazz percussionist Pudy Ballumbrosio in his acting debut), a man whose own talents have been constricted by race and class, suggests she revive a long-dormant dream to open an upscale restaurant. Writer-director Ricardo de Montreuil’s astute drama blends the sensory joys of a foodie movie with the psychological lift of seeing characters join forces to cast off limitations they thought were their lot in life. It’s a forward-looking flashback set in an era of rapid change.

Norma (Barbara Mori), la esposa trofeo de un político peruano nacida en París, encuentra su posición en los niveles más altos de la sociedad limeña de mediados de la década de 1960 pero se le viene todo abajo cuando él la deja por una mujer más joven. Es un escándalo público, debidamente observado por amigos hipócritas y acreedores hambrientos. Sin embargo, una vez que la rabia y el desamparo iniciales desaparecen, el instinto de supervivencia emerge detrás de la capa de glamour al estilo Liz Taylor que tiene Norma. Oscar, el chófer (el percusionista de jazz Pudy Ballumbrosio en su debut como actor), un hombre cuyos propios talentos han sido restringidos por su raza y clase social, le sugiere que reviva el sueño que ella ha tenido por mucho tiempo de abrir un restaurante de lujo. El drama del guionista y director Ricardo de Montreuil combina los placeres sensoriales de una película gastronómica con la emoción psicológica de ver a los personajes unir fuerzas para liberarse de las limitaciones que creían ser su destino en la vida. Es un flashback con visión de futuro ambientado en una era de cambios rápidos.

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The kings of stoner comedy drive through the desert, remembering the good times and rehashing decades-old arguments, searching for a place called “The Joint.” One is a Canadian Chinese musician who recorded songs for Motown. The other is a Mexican American from LA who moved to Vancouver, BC, to avoid the draft and make pottery. Fate—and an improv group based in a topless bar—brought Tommy Chong and Richard “Cheech” Marin together to become the “hard-rock comedy” team Cheech & Chong. Framed within that contemporary road trip interspersed with plenty of archival material, David Bushell’s profile of the most successful stand-up duo of the 1970s and ’80s charts their rise from hippie-club headliners to countercultural icons with chart-topping albums to movie stars, before the combo of ego, fame, and an imbalance of power made their career temporarily go up in smoke. You couldn’t ask for a funnier, more moving documentary on the guys who invented, like, pot humor, man! —David Fear

Los reyes de la comedia de fumetas recorren el desierto, recordando los buenos tiempos y repitiendo discusiones de hace décadas, mientras buscan un lugar llamado "The Joint". Uno es un músico chino-canadiense que grabó canciones para Motown; el otro es un mexico-americano de Los Ángeles que se mudó a Vancouver, BC, para evitar el reclutamiento y dedicarse a la cerámica. El destino (y un grupo de improvisación con sede en un bar de topless) unió a Tommy Chong y Richard “Cheech” Marin, convirtiéndolos en el equipo de comedia de “hard rock” Cheech & Chong. Enmarcado en ese viaje por carretera e intercalado con abundante material de archivo, el retrato que David Bushell presenta del dúo de comediantes de stand-up más exitoso de los años 1970 y 1980 traza su ascenso desde estrellas de clubes hippies hasta íconos contraculturales con álbumes en las listas de éxitos y películas exitosas, antes de que la combinación de ego, fama y desbalance de poder hiciera que su carrera se esfumara temporalmente. ¡No podrías pedir un documental más divertido y conmovedor sobre los tipos que inventaron el humor de marihuana, hombre! —David Fear
 
Premiere status: West Coast 
Initiative: Vive El Cine
 
Director: David Bushell made his directorial feature film debut with the SXSW 2024 World Premiere of Cheech & Chong’s Last Movie. He previously directed one of Vimeo’s favorite films of the decade, the short Jim Carrey: I Needed Color (2017). Bushell’s producing credits include Billy Bob Thornton’s Academy-award winning film Sling Blade (1996), and Get Him to the Greek (2010), which he produced alongside Judd Apatow. He is an executive producer on Academy Award®-winning films Eternal Sunshine of Spotless Mind (2004) and Dallas Buyers Club (2013). Bushell was named one of Variety’s “10 Producers to Watch.” He currently resides in Los Angeles.



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“I had my ups and downs, but I always find the inner strength to pull myself up.” In this shorts program, we present a collection of true-life tales about extraordinary individuals and cultural changemakers from around the world. There hasn’t been a lesbian bar in San Francisco for almost a decade but Bay Area filmmakers Meg Shutzer and Brandon Yadegari Moreno’s Mother (US 2023, 23 min) introduces us to Malia Spanyol, a self-identified dyke who sets out to build one for the next generation of women and femmes. In the thought-provoking Alok (US 2024, 19 min), director Alex Hedison delivers a compelling portrait of Alok Vaid-Menon, the internationally acclaimed nonbinary author, poet, comedian, and public speaker who challenges societal norms and explores the limitless expression of self. Sarah Klein and Tom Mason’s Out of the Dark: Cal Calamia (US 2024, 8 min) provides an intimate look at the journey of professional athlete Cal Calamia, a transgender marathon runner who’s advocating for inclusion in the running world. Part memoir-style reflection and part prayer, Kirhi Nath’s Paramita (2024, 24 min) reveals Prajna Paramita Choudhury’s 25-year coming out process with her traditional Bangladeshi mother employing Buddhist practices and nature as gateways for intergenerational healing.

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In the midst of Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, a volunteer team embarks on a mission to evacuate a zoo’s 5,000 creatures from the bombardment zone.

Feldman EcoPark, located in the woods outside Kharkiv, was home to 5,000 creatures cared for by 100 employees. When Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the inhabitants found themselves behind the front lines and buffeted by bombardment. Oleksander Feldman, the wealthy businessman who created the zoo, realized that a mass evacuation was the only way to save the animals from further physical injury and psychological anguish. The sight of several species settling at his sprawling estate is touchingly surreal, but lions, tigers, and bears prove a bigger challenge. Checkpoint Zoo records the yeoman efforts of volunteers like neophyte veterinarian Tymofii, who returned from abroad when the war began, and recovering addict Andrii, who found a job, a home, and a calling at EcoPark. Their extraordinary endeavor, marked by stunning triumph and shocking tragedy, embodies the noblest characteristics of our species: compassion, cooperation, courage, and a dedication to the preservation of civilization.

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Transporting us to the dives and roach motels of 1950s Mexico City with a palpable sensuousness and eroticism, Oscar®-nominated filmmaker Luca Guadagnino (Call Me by Your Name, MVFF40) may be the ideal interpreter of Beat legend William S. Burroughs’s novel. Daniel Craig (Glass Onion, MVFF45 Opening Night) is magnificent as William Lee, a queer American ex-pat and writer in his late 40s (and Burroughs’ autobiographical alter ego). Leading a solitary, seedy life, Lee’s days and (mostly) nights are spent drinking, drugging, and on the prowl for pickups. His hedonistic haze is aided and abetted by his friend Joe—an Allen Ginsburg-ian character played by an almost unrecognizable Jason Schwartzman (The French Dispatch, MVFF44 Closing Night). But the arrival in town of Eugene Allerton (Drew Starkey, The Hate U Give, MVFF41), a handsome bi-curious student from Oklahoma stirs William into an intoxication more romantic, finally establishing a meaningful connection with someone as his hallucinogenic journey becomes steeped in desire.

Stunning shots of a forest and a haunting soundtrack set the stage for this contemporary riff on Little Red Riding Hood. First-time feature writer-director Kelsey Taylor explores what might have inspired the original fairy tale: the Woodsman (Ivan Martin) lives a simple life, clinging to routine in his cabin nestled deep in the fog-cloaked pines of the Oregon Cascades. Isolated in his nearly off-grid property, he is hidden from his past and the outside community—until a half-frozen Dani (Maddison Brown) appears on his doorstep. Taylor’s fascination with fairy tales and their deeper meaning shines through this thriller that reveals not only Dani and the Woodsman’s difficult pasts but also what wolves they are fleeing. But the wolves may not be who we expect them to be—and neither are the ones working so hard to keep them at bay.

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Oscar®-winning film editor William Goldenberg makes an indelible directing debut with this thrilling underdog sports drama focused on the life of wrestler Anthony Robles. Jharrel Jerome (Moonlight, MVFF39; I’m a Virgo) stars as Robles, introduced as a high school senior whose record ought to have college wrestling programs scrambling to recruit him. But the teen was born with one leg and the wrestling powerhouses passed on him. Ultimately, he chooses to walk on at Arizona State University and compete for a non-scholarship spot. Balancing wrestling, school, a job in airplane maintenance, and support of his younger siblings and mother (Jennifer Lopez) as she navigates an abusive relationship with his prison-guard stepfather (Bobby Cannavale) is a challenge, but Robles strives to attain his goal to not just wrestle but win a national championship. Michael Peña and Don Cheadle offer empathetic support as his coaches in an electrifying film that, like its hero, has the heart of a champion.

Middle-aged widow Rosa lives a quiet life dominated by the ghosts of her long ago marriage. As she makes a new life for herself, jarring revelations force her to face facts about her past and who she is today.

Amidst a suburban existence, a woman struggles with the ghosts of her troubled marriage in this quiet but emotional and full-bodied indie. Rosa is a middle-aged widow living on her own with her beloved dog Coquita but still in thrall to her former life. The story starts quietly, in an unassuming way that mirrors Rosa herself—except there is turbulence deep below the surface. Her incarcerated son Sergio refuses her visits, while her daughter-in-law Alejandra won’t see her or allow her near her grandson Sebas. Rosa’s life receives an unexpected spark when a friend introduces her to the world of tango, igniting a passion she shares with recent acquaintance Juan. Along the way, there are fissures that hint at truths Rosa has buried deep. And as so often with life, things flip. Rosa receives jarring revelations about the people around her but, ultimately, the biggest surprise is what she learns about herself.

En medio de una vida suburbana, una mujer enfrenta los fantasmas de un matrimonio problemático en esta sutil pero profunda película independiente cargada de significado emocional. Rosa es una viuda de mediana edad que vive sola con su amada perra Coquita, pero todavía es esclava de su vida anterior. La historia comienza de una manera modesta, como la propia Rosa, pero hay turbulencias muy por debajo de la superficie. Sergio, su hijo encarcelado, rechaza sus visitas, y su nuera, Alejandra, no la ve ni le permite acercarse a su nieto Sebas. La vida de Rosa cambia inesperadamente cuando una amiga la introduce al mundo del tango, encendiendo una pasión que comparte con un recién conocido, Juan. Con el tiempo, se hace evidente que hay verdades que Rosa ha enterrado profundamente. Y, como tantas veces ocurre en la vida, todo cambia. Rosa hace un descubrimiento estremecedor sobre las personas que la rodean, pero, en última instancia, la mayor sorpresa es lo que aprende sobre sí misma.

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The war on immigrants is happening. The realities of deportation, jail, and even death are but a few of the obstacles that organizer Gabriela Castañeda and activist and asylum seeker Kaxh Mura'l, participants in Borderland: The Line Within, confront while battling the United States’ border/industrial complex. Filmmaker Pamela Yates focuses on how anti-immigrant US policies upend lives and how law enforcement not only apprehends immigrants making the dangerous crossing over the border but also those who assist them. The film exposes the human toll of these policies as well as the business side of this war, exposing the politics of the situation and the politicians who benefit from the status quo. At a time when the undocumented are demonized and pols recklessly talk of mass deportations, this vital documentary puts the topic into perspective. It’s not a red or blue debate: this is a human issue. — Erin Lim

La deportación, la cárcel e incluso la muerte no son más que algunos de los obstáculos a los que la organizadora Gabriela Castañeda y el activista y solicitante de asilo Kaxh Mura’l, participantes en “Frontera Adentro”, se enfrentan mientras luchan contra el complejo fronterizo e industrial de los Estados Unidos. La cineasta Pamela Yates se centra en cómo las políticas anti-inmigrantes estadounidenses transforman las vidas de muchas personas y cómo las fuerzas del orden no sólo detienen a los inmigrantes que cruzan la peligrosa frontera sino también a quienes les ayudan. La película revela el costo humano de estas políticas, así como el aspecto comercial de esta guerra, desenmascarando la situación política y a los políticos que se benefician del statu quo. En un momento en el que los indocumentados son demonizados y los políticos hablan imprudentemente de deportaciones masivas, este documental pone el tema en perspectiva. No se trata de un debate de rojo o azul: es una cuestión humana.

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Two boys, their parents, and staff struggle for redemption after a mysterious incident at school in this drama that unveils secrets with chilling precision. A gripping exploration of parenthood, perception, and the unknown.

When six-year-old Armand is accused of crossing boundaries with his best friend Jon at school, it sets off a chain of events that drags parents and school staff into a gripping battle for redemption. Winner of this year's Caméra d'Or at Cannes, Norwegian writer-director Halfdan Ullmann Tondel, grandson of Ingmar Bergman and Liv Ullmann, masterfully constructs a narrative that slowly unveils its secrets as the incident remains shrouded in mystery. No one truly knows what happened between the boys, and as perceptions shift, the story keeps you on the edge of your seat, observing every subtle expression and gesture. Renate Reinsve (The Worst Person in The World) delivers a stunning performance as Armand's mother. With perfect pacing and a foreboding atmosphere, Armand is a captivating exploration of human nature and the complexities of parenthood. Enhanced by an evocative score and striking cinematography, this stylistically gripping debut promises to leave you breathless.

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“Tell me how should I feel when I know what I know.” This international collection is a vivid exploration of families who are confronted with some very harsh truths. In Marek Čermák's Everything Will Be OK Again (Czech Republic 2023, 20 min), a mother must come to terms with her son’s character when he unexpectedly makes the local news. In Juan Paulo Laserna’s Not My Name (Colombia 2024, 19 min), a family goes on a treacherous road trip when their country is beset by political violence. In Drew McCoy and Anthony Gilmore’s There Will Be Hurt (US 2024, 18 min), the release from prison of a man responsible for a young woman’s death sets her family reeling with its own set of questions and struggles. And in Talia Light Rake’s The Captives (US 2024, 14 min), a mother and daughter learn some surprising insights when they have a candid face-to-face. These stories remind us that a family’s complex dynamics can strike some very familiar chords.

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Party at Tam Commons and Taproom and Kitchen, San Rafael

Unstoppable

Oscar®-winning film editor William Goldenberg makes an indelible directing debut with this thrilling underdog sports drama focused on the life of wrestler Anthony Robles. Jharrel Jerome (Moonlight, MVFF39; I’m a Virgo) stars as Robles, introduced as a high school senior whose record ought to have college wrestling programs scrambling to recruit him. But the teen was born with one leg and the wrestling powerhouses pass on him. Ultimately, he chooses to walk on at Arizona State University and compete for a non-scholarship spot. Balancing wrestling, school, a job in airplane maintenance, and support of his younger siblings and mother (Jennifer Lopez) as she navigates an abusive relationship with his prison-guard stepfather (Bobby Cannavale) is a challenge, but Robles strives to attain his goal to not just wrestle but win a national championship. Michael Peña and Don Cheadle offer empathetic support as his coaches in an electrifying film that, like its hero, has the heart of a champion.

Expected In Person Guest